The present invention relates to a self-service terminal (SST), such as an automated teller machine (ATM).
ATMs are public access terminals that provide users with a secure, reliable, and convenient source of cash and other financial transactions in an unattended environment.
Recently, ATMs have been provided with wireless communications ports for receiving transactions from a user""s portable device (such as a portable digital assistant (PDA) or a cellular radio-frequency telephone). This enables a user to enter a transaction via the portable device""s user interface (keypad and screen, or touchscreen) rather than via the ATM""s user interface. This also allows a user to enter and store a transaction in a portable device prior to arriving at an ATM, thereby reducing the transaction time at the ATM. A further advantage is that ATMs can be provided with minimal user interfaces, as the users"" portable devices function as ATM user interfaces.
Although there are many advantages in using a portable device to enter a transaction, there is also a disadvantage. If there are a plurality of wireless devices in the vicinity of an ATM, then the ATM is not able to determine if a transaction received from a wireless device and about to be executed by the ATM was transmitted by the person currently in front of the ATM. This may result in an ATM dispensing cash to the wrong person, that is, to a person who did not enter the cash withdrawal transaction but who is in front of the ATM when the cash withdrawal transaction is fulfilled.
It is an object of an embodiment of the present invention to obviate or mitigate the above disadvantage or other disadvantages associated with prior art self-service terminals.
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a self-service terminal having a wireless communication port for interacting with a user""s portable device and a biometric device for capturing biometric data from a user at the terminal, the terminal being operable to receive biometric data from portable devices within the vicinity of the terminal, and to compare the received biometric data with data captured by the biometric device to determine which portable device is associated with the user at the terminal.
The biometric device may utilize: human iris recognition; facial recognition; voice recognition; finger geometry recognition; fingerprint recognition; vein pattern recognition; signature dynamics; typing dynamics; retina scan; or any other convenient biometric technique. Biometrics can be defined as using anatomical, physiological, or behavioral characteristics to recognize, or verify the claimed identity of, an individual.
The biometric data may be stored by the portable device, or it may be stored on a network and downloaded by the portable device when required.
Preferably, biometric data is stored in the form of a biometric template for a particular type of biometric device.
In some embodiments, multiple biometric templates may be stored for each user, where each template relates to a different type of biometric device. For example, the following biometric templates may be stored for each user: an iris template, a fingerprint template, a voice template, and such like.
Where multiple types of biometric templates are stored, the terminal may indicate the type of biometric template required when requesting biometric information from the portable devices in the vicinity of the terminal.
In some embodiments, a portable device may store biometric templates for different users, so that a user logs in to the portable device before the portable device transmits a biometric template. This enables a portable device that is shared by a plurality of users (for example, a cellular radio-frequency telephone (hereinafter referred to as a xe2x80x9ccellphonexe2x80x9d) used by different members of a family) to be used in a transaction.
The portable device may be a cellphone, a PDA, a converged PDA/cellphone, a Web access device, or such like.
Preferably, the portable device includes a secure storage area, such as an integrated circuit card, for securely storing the user""s biometric template. Alternatively, the portable device has secure access (for example, an encrypted data connection) to a remote secure storage area for storing the user""s biometric template.
The terminal may be an ATM, an information kiosk, or such like.
By virtue of this aspect of the invention, an ATM is able to determine if the portable device communicating with the ATM is being used by the person directly in front of the ATM. This avoids the ATM dispensing cash to a person other than the person using the ATM.
One advantage of this invention is that the terminal does not permanently store biometric templates for users, as these templates are stored (or accessed) by the portable devices and only transmitted to the terminal when a verification comparison is required. This may allay reservations some users have about privacy.
According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of executing a transaction at a self-service terminal having a wireless communications port, the method comprising the steps of capturing biometric data from a user at the terminal, receiving biometric data from portable devices within the vicinity of the terminal, and comparing the received biometric data with the data captured by the biometric device to determine which portable device is associated with the user at the terminal.
The method may include the further step of requesting transmission of biometric data from portable devices within the vicinity of the terminal. This request may be in the form of a broadcast.
By virtue of this aspect of the present invention, the SST is able to identify the portable device carried by the person in front of the SST, and to fulfil the transaction transmitted from that device.
According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a self-service terminal having a biometric device, the terminal including means for matching received biometric data with data captured by the biometric device to determine which portable device is associated with a user at the terminal.